Method and apparatus for dynamic reduction of camera body acoustic shadowing in wind noise processing

ABSTRACT

An image capture device includes a processor for wind noise processing. The processor receives signals from a first microphone, a first plurality of microphones, and a second plurality of microphones. The processor may segment the signals into low frequency bins and high frequency bins. The processor may select a minimum level signal bin for the low frequency bins. For the high frequency bins, the processor may select a minimum level signal bin for a first group of microphones or a second group of microphones. The processor may generate a composite signal by combining the selected minimum level signal bins for the low frequency bins and the selected minimum level signal bins for the high frequency bins.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/002,122, filed Aug. 25, 2020, which claims priority to and thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/900,903, filedSep. 16, 2019, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to audio capture wind noise processing forelectronic devices.

BACKGROUND

Dual-lens cameras are used to simultaneously record from a first-personperspective using a forward-facing lens and of the user using arear-facing lens. Images from the dual lenses may be stitched togetherto create a spherical image. Single-lens and multi-lens camerastypically have multiple microphones to record an audio stream. Windnoise processing performance typically suffers in single -lens anddual-lens cameras in the form of acoustic shadowing artifacts due to theincreased number of microphones and the camera geometry.

SUMMARY

Disclosed herein are implementations of wind noise processing andacoustic shadowing reduction. An aspect includes an image capturedevice. The image capture device includes a first image sensor facing afirst direction. The first image sensor may be configured to obtainfirst image data. The image capture device may include a second imagesensor facing a second direction. The second direction may bediametrically opposed to the first direction. The second image sensormay be configured to obtain second image data. The image capture devicemay include a microphone facing the first direction. The image capturedevice may include a first plurality of microphones facing the seconddirection. The image capture device may include a second plurality ofmicrophones facing a third direction. The third direction may beperpendicular to the first and second directions.

In one or more aspects, the image capture device may include aprocessor. The processor may be configured to receive a signal from themicrophone, the first plurality of microphones, the second plurality ofmicrophones, or any combination thereof. In one or more aspects, theprocessor may be configured to segment each signal into low frequencybins, high frequency bins, or both. In one or more aspects, theprocessor may be configured to select a minimum level signal bin foreach low frequency bin. In one or more aspects, the processor may beconfigured to, for the high frequency bins, determine a minimum levelsignal bin for a first group of microphones and determine a minimumsignal level bin for a second group of microphones. In one or moreaspects, the first group of microphones may include the microphone, thefirst plurality of microphones, and the second plurality of microphones.In one or more aspects, the second group of microphones may include thesecond plurality of microphones. In one or more aspects, the processormay be configured to determine a difference between the minimum levelsignal bin of the first group of microphones and the minimum levelsignal bin of the second group of microphones. In one or more aspects,the processor may be configured to select a minimum level signal bin foreach high frequency bin based on the difference. In one or more aspects,the processor may be configured to generate a composite signal bycombining the selected minimum level signal bins for each low frequencybin and the selected minimum level signal bins for each high frequencybin.

An aspect may include a method that includes receiving signals from aplurality of microphones. The method may include segmenting each signalinto low frequency bins, high frequency bins, or both. The method mayinclude selecting, for each low frequency bin, a minimum level signalbin for each signal from the plurality of microphones. The method mayinclude processing, for each high frequency bin, signals from theplurality of microphones and signals from a subset of the plurality ofmicrophones. The method may include comparing the signals the pluralityof microphones and the signals of the subset of the plurality ofmicrophones. The method may include selecting, for each high frequencybin, a minimum signal level bin of each signal from the plurality ofmicrophones or a minimum signal level bin of each signal from the subsetof the plurality of microphones. The method may include concatenatingthe selected minimum level signal bins of the low frequency bins withthe selected minimum level signal bins of the high frequency bins.

An aspect may include an integrated circuit. The integrated circuitincludes a first extractor, a second extractor, a first sampler, asecond sampler, a third sampler, a comparator, a switch, a concatenator,or any combination thereof. The first extractor may be configured toreceive signals from a microphone, a first plurality of microphones, asecond plurality of microphones, or any combination thereof. The firstextractor may be configured to segment each signal into low frequencybins, high frequency bins, or both. The second extractor may beconfigured to receive the signals from the microphone, the firstplurality of microphones, the second plurality of microphones, or anycombination thereof. The second extractor may be configured to segmenteach signal into low frequency bins, high frequency bins, or both. Inone or more aspects, the first sampler may be configured to select aminimum level signal bin for each low frequency bin. In one or moreaspects, the second sampler may be configured to process the highfrequency bins. The second sampler may be configured to determine aminimum level signal bin for a first group of microphones comprising themicrophone, the first plurality of microphones, and the second pluralityof microphones. In one or more aspects, the third sampler may beconfigured to process the high frequency bins. The third sampler may beconfigured to determine a minimum signal level bin for a second group ofmicrophones comprising the second plurality of microphones. In one ormore aspects, the comparator may be configured to determine a differencebetween the minimum level signal bin of the first group of microphonesand the minimum level signal bin of the second group of microphones. Inone or more aspects, the switch may be configured to select a minimumlevel signal bin for each high frequency bin based on the difference. Inone or more aspects, the concatenator may be configured to generate acomposite signal. The composite signal may be generated by combining theselected minimum level signal bins for each low frequency bin and theselected minimum level signal bins for each high frequency bin.

An aspect includes an image capture device. The image capture device mayinclude a microphone, a first plurality of microphones, and a secondplurality of microphones configured to obtain audio signals. The imagecapture device may include a processor. The processor may be configuredto segment the audio signals into low frequency bins, high frequencybins, or both. The processor may be configured to select a minimum levelsignal bin for the low frequency bins. The processor may be configuredto, for the high frequency bins, determine a minimum level signal binfor a first group of microphones and determine a minimum signal levelbin for a second group of microphones. The first group of microphonesmay include the microphone, the first plurality of microphones, and thesecond plurality of microphones. The second group of microphones mayinclude the second plurality of microphones. The processor may beconfigured to determine a difference between the minimum level signalbin of the first group of microphones and the minimum level signal binof the second group of microphones. The processor may be configured toselect a minimum level signal bin for the high frequency bins based onthe difference. The processor may be configured to generate a compositesignal by combining the selected minimum level signal bins for the lowfrequency bins and the selected minimum level signal bins for the highfrequency bins.

An aspect may include a method that includes receiving signals from aplurality of microphones. The method may include segmenting the signalsinto low frequency bins, high frequency bins, or both. The method mayinclude selecting, for the low frequency bins, a minimum level signalbin for the signals from the plurality of microphones. The method mayinclude processing, for the high frequency bins, signals from theplurality of microphones and signals from a subset of the plurality ofmicrophones. The method may include selecting, for the high frequencybins, a minimum signal level bin of the signals from the plurality ofmicrophones or a minimum signal level bin of the signals from the subsetof the plurality of microphones. The method may include concatenatingthe selected minimum level signal bins of the low frequency bins withthe selected minimum level signal bins of the high frequency bins.

An aspect may include an integrated circuit. The integrated circuitincludes a first extractor, a first sampler, a second sampler, a thirdsampler, a comparator, a switch, a concatenator, or any combinationthereof. The first extractor may be configured to receive signals from amicrophone, a first plurality of microphones, a second plurality ofmicrophones, or any combination thereof. The first extractor may beconfigured to segment the signals into low frequency bins, highfrequency bins, or both. The first sampler may be configured to select aminimum level signal bin for the low frequency bins. The second samplermay be configured to process the high frequency bins. The second samplermay be configured to determine a minimum level signal bin for a firstgroup of microphones comprising the microphone, the first plurality ofmicrophones, and the second plurality of microphones. The third samplermay be configured to process the high frequency bins. The third samplermay be configured to determine a minimum signal level bin for a secondgroup of microphones comprising the second plurality of microphones. Thecomparator may be configured to determine a difference between theminimum level signal bin of the first group of microphones and theminimum level signal bin of the second group of microphones. The switchmay be configured to select a minimum level signal bin for the highfrequency bin based on the difference. The concatenator may beconfigured to generate a composite signal. The composite signal may begenerated by combining the selected minimum level signal bins for thelow frequency bins and the selected minimum level signal bins for thehigh frequency bins.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure is best understood from the following detaileddescription when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Itis emphasized that, according to common practice, the various featuresof the drawings are not to-scale. On the contrary, the dimensions of thevarious features are arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity.

FIGS. 1A-B are isometric views of an example of an image capture device.

FIGS. 2A-B are isometric views of another example of an image capturedevice.

FIG. 2C is a top view of the image capture device of FIGS. 2A-B.

FIG. 2D is a partial cross-sectional view of the image capture device ofFIG. 2C.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of electronic components of an image capturedevice.

FIG. 4A is a diagram of a top-view of an image capture device inaccordance with embodiments of this disclosure.

FIG. 4B is a diagram of a front-view of the image capture device shownin FIG. 4A in accordance with embodiments of this disclosure.

FIG. 4C is a diagram of a rear-view of the image capture device shown inFIG. 4A in accordance with embodiments of this disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of an isometric view of an image capture deviceconfigured for dynamic avoidance of acoustic shadowing in wind noiseprocessing in accordance with embodiments of this disclosure.

FIG. 6. is a block diagram of an example of a composite microphonesignal in accordance with embodiments of this disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an example of an integrated circuit inaccordance with embodiments of this disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of an example of a method for wind noiseprocessing in accordance with embodiments of this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the implementations described herein, wind noise processing may beperformed to reduce acoustic shadowing. In one or more implementations,all microphones may be used for low frequency signals that areunaffected by acoustic shadowing. For mid-range and high frequencysignals, a subset of microphones may be used for wind noise processing.In one or more implementations, the remaining microphones not includedin the subset of microphones may be used on a bin-by-bin basis based ona proxy level for the level of wind noise present in a respectivesignal.

In the examples described herein, an image capture may be performedsimultaneously using both camera lenses, and audio may be captured usingall available microphone elements. Microphone elements used for windnoise detection, wind noise processing, or both, may be automaticallyswitched based on device orientation, user activity, or device setting.In the examples described herein, the terms microphone element andmicrophone are used interchangeably.

FIGS. 1A-B are isometric views of an example of an image capture device100. The image capture device 100 may include a body 102, a lens 104structured on a front surface of the body 102, various indicators on thefront surface of the body 102 (such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs),displays, and the like), various input mechanisms (such as buttons,switches, and/or touch-screens), and electronics (such as imagingelectronics, power electronics, etc.) internal to the body 102 forcapturing images via the lens 104 and/or performing other functions. Thelens 104 is configured to receive light incident upon the lens 104 andto direct received light onto an image sensor internal to the body 102.The image capture device 100 may be configured to capture images andvideo and to store captured images and video for subsequent display orplayback.

The image capture device 100 may include an LED or another form ofindicator 106 to indicate a status of the image capture device 100 and aliquid-crystal display (LCD) or other form of a display 108 to showstatus information such as battery life, camera mode, elapsed time, andthe like. The image capture device 100 may also include a mode button110 and a shutter button 112 that are configured to allow a user of theimage capture device 100 to interact with the image capture device 100.For example, the mode button 110 and the shutter button 112 may be usedto turn the image capture device 100 on and off, scroll through modesand settings, and select modes and change settings. The image capturedevice 100 may include additional buttons or interfaces (not shown) tosupport and/or control additional functionality.

The image capture device 100 may include a door 114 coupled to the body102, for example, using a hinge mechanism 116. The door 114 may besecured to the body 102 using a latch mechanism 118 that releasablyengages the body 102 at a position generally opposite the hingemechanism 116. The door 114 may also include a seal 120 and a batteryinterface 122. When the door 114 is an open position, access is providedto an input-output (I/O) interface 124 for connecting to orcommunicating with external devices as described below and to a batteryreceptacle 126 for placement and replacement of a battery (not shown).The battery receptacle 126 includes operative connections (not shown)for power transfer between the battery and the image capture device 100.When the door 114 is in a closed position, the seal 120 engages a flange(not shown) or other interface to provide an environmental seal, and thebattery interface 122 engages the battery to secure the battery in thebattery receptacle 126. The door 114 can also have a removed position(not shown) where the entire door 114 is separated from the imagecapture device 100, that is, where both the hinge mechanism 116 and thelatch mechanism 118 are decoupled from the body 102 to allow the door114 to be removed from the image capture device 100.

The image capture device 100 may include a microphone 128 on a frontsurface and another microphone 130 on a side surface. The image capturedevice 100 may include other microphones on other surfaces (not shown).The microphones 128, 130 may be configured to receive and record audiosignals in conjunction with recording video or separate from recordingof video. The image capture device 100 may include a speaker 132 on abottom surface of the image capture device 100. The image capture device100 may include other speakers on other surfaces (not shown). Thespeaker 132 may be configured to play back recorded audio or emit soundsassociated with notifications.

A front surface of the image capture device 100 may include a drainagechannel 134. A bottom surface of the image capture device 100 mayinclude an interconnect mechanism 136 for connecting the image capturedevice 100 to a handle grip or other securing device. In the exampleshown in FIG. 1B, the interconnect mechanism 136 includes foldingprotrusions configured to move between a nested or collapsed position asshown and an extended or open position (not shown) that facilitatescoupling of the protrusions to mating protrusions of other devices suchas handle grips, mounts, clips, or like devices.

The image capture device 100 may include an interactive display 138 thatallows for interaction with the image capture device 100 whilesimultaneously displaying information on a surface of the image capturedevice 100.

The image capture device 100 of FIGS. 1A-B includes an exterior thatencompasses and protects internal electronics. In the present example,the exterior includes six surfaces (i.e. a front face, a left face, aright face, a back face, a top face, and a bottom face) that form arectangular cuboid. Furthermore, both the front and rear surfaces of theimage capture device 100 are rectangular. In other embodiments, theexterior may have a different shape. The image capture device 100 may bemade of a rigid material such as plastic, aluminum, steel, orfiberglass. The image capture device 100 may include features other thanthose described here. For example, the image capture device 100 mayinclude additional buttons or different interface features, such asinterchangeable lenses, cold shoes, and hot shoes that can addfunctional features to the image capture device 100.

The image capture device 100 may include various types of image sensors,such as charge-coupled device (CCD) sensors, active pixel sensors (APS),complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensors, N-typemetal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS) sensors, and/or any other image sensoror combination of image sensors.

Although not illustrated, in various embodiments, the image capturedevice 100 may include other additional electrical components (e.g., animage processor, camera system-on-chip (SoC), etc.), which may beincluded on one or more circuit boards within the body 102 of the imagecapture device 100.

The image capture device 100 may interface with or communicate with anexternal device, such as an external user interface device (not shown),via a wired or wireless computing communication link (e.g., the I/Ointerface 124). Any number of computing communication links may be used.The computing communication link may be a direct computing communicationlink or an indirect computing communication link, such as a linkincluding another device or a network, such as the internet, may beused.

In some implementations, the computing communication link may be a Wi-Filink, an infrared link, a Bluetooth (BT) link, a cellular link, a ZigBeelink, a near field communications (NFC) link, such as an ISO/IEC 20643protocol link, an Advanced Network Technology interoperability (ANT+)link, and/or any other wireless communications link or combination oflinks.

In some implementations, the computing communication link may be an HDMIlink, a USB link, a digital video interface link, a display portinterface link, such as a Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA)digital display interface link, an Ethernet link, a Thunderbolt link,and/or other wired computing communication link.

The image capture device 100 may transmit images, such as panoramicimages, or portions thereof, to the external user interface device viathe computing communication link, and the external user interface devicemay store, process, display, or a combination thereof the panoramicimages.

The external user interface device may be a computing device, such as asmartphone, a tablet computer, a phablet, a smart watch, a portablecomputer, personal computing device, and/or another device orcombination of devices configured to receive user input, communicateinformation with the image capture device 100 via the computingcommunication link, or receive user input and communicate informationwith the image capture device 100 via the computing communication link.

The external user interface device may display, or otherwise present,content, such as images or video, acquired by the image capture device100. For example, a display of the external user interface device may bea viewport into the three-dimensional space represented by the panoramicimages or video captured or created by the image capture device 100.

The external user interface device may communicate information, such asmetadata, to the image capture device 100. For example, the externaluser interface device may send orientation information of the externaluser interface device with respect to a defined coordinate system to theimage capture device 100, such that the image capture device 100 maydetermine an orientation of the external user interface device relativeto the image capture device 100.

Based on the determined orientation, the image capture device 100 mayidentify a portion of the panoramic images or video captured by theimage capture device 100 for the image capture device 100 to send to theexternal user interface device for presentation as the viewport. In someimplementations, based on the determined orientation, the image capturedevice 100 may determine the location of the external user interfacedevice and/or the dimensions for viewing of a portion of the panoramicimages or video.

The external user interface device may implement or execute one or moreapplications to manage or control the image capture device 100. Forexample, the external user interface device may include an applicationfor controlling camera configuration, video acquisition, video display,or any other configurable or controllable aspect of the image capturedevice 100.

The user interface device, such as via an application, may generate andshare, such as via a cloud-based or social media service, one or moreimages, or short video clips, such as in response to user input. In someimplementations, the external user interface device, such as via anapplication, may remotely control the image capture device 100 such asin response to user input.

The external user interface device, such as via an application, maydisplay unprocessed or minimally processed images or video captured bythe image capture device 100 contemporaneously with capturing the imagesor video by the image capture device 100, such as for shot framing orlive preview, and which may be performed in response to user input. Insome implementations, the external user interface device, such as via anapplication, may mark one or more key moments contemporaneously withcapturing the images or video by the image capture device 100, such aswith a tag or highlight in response to a user input or user gesture.

The external user interface device, such as via an application, maydisplay or otherwise present marks or tags associated with images orvideo, such as in response to user input. For example, marks may bepresented in a camera roll application for location review and/orplayback of video highlights.

The external user interface device, such as via an application, maywirelessly control camera software, hardware, or both. For example, theexternal user interface device may include a web-based graphicalinterface accessible by a user for selecting a live or previouslyrecorded video stream from the image capture device 100 for display onthe external user interface device.

The external user interface device may receive information indicating auser setting, such as an image resolution setting (e.g., 3840 pixels by2160 pixels), a frame rate setting (e.g., 60 frames per second (fps)), alocation setting, and/or a context setting, which may indicate anactivity, such as mountain biking, in response to user input, and maycommunicate the settings, or related information, to the image capturedevice 100.

The image capture device 100 may be used to implement some or all of themethods described in this disclosure, such as the method 800 describedin FIG. 8.

FIGS. 2A-B illustrate another example of an image capture device 200.The image capture device 200 includes a body 202 and two camera lenses204 and 206 disposed on opposing surfaces of the body 202, for example,in a back-to-back configuration, Janus configuration, or offset Janusconfiguration. The body 202 of the image capture device 200 may be madeof a rigid material such as plastic, aluminum, steel, or fiberglass.

The image capture device 200 includes various indicators on the front ofthe surface of the body 202 (such as LEDs, displays, and the like),various input mechanisms (such as buttons, switches, and touch-screenmechanisms), and electronics (e.g., imaging electronics, powerelectronics, etc.) internal to the body 202 that are configured tosupport image capture via the two camera lenses 204 and 206 and/orperform other imaging functions.

The image capture device 200 includes various indicators, for example,LEDs 208, 210 to indicate a status of the image capture device 100. Theimage capture device 200 may include a mode button 212 and a shutterbutton 214 configured to allow a user of the image capture device 200 tointeract with the image capture device 200, to turn the image capturedevice 200 on, and to otherwise configure the operating mode of theimage capture device 200. It should be appreciated, however, that, inalternate embodiments, the image capture device 200 may includeadditional buttons or inputs to support and/or control additionalfunctionality.

The image capture device 200 may include an interconnect mechanism 216for connecting the image capture device 200 to a handle grip or othersecuring device. In the example shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, theinterconnect mechanism 216 includes folding protrusions configured tomove between a nested or collapsed position (not shown) and an extendedor open position as shown that facilitates coupling of the protrusionsto mating protrusions of other devices such as handle grips, mounts,clips, or like devices.

The image capture device 200 may include audio components 218, 220, 222such as microphones configured to receive and record audio signals(e.g., voice or other audio commands) in conjunction with recordingvideo. The audio component 218, 220, 222 can also be configured to playback audio signals or provide notifications or alerts, for example,using speakers. Placement of the audio components 218, 220, 222 may beon one or more of several surfaces of the image capture device 200. Inthe example of FIGS. 2A and 2B, the image capture device 200 includesthree audio components 218, 220, 222, with the audio component 218 on afront surface, the audio component 220 on a side surface, and the audiocomponent 222 on a back surface of the image capture device 200. Othernumbers and configurations for the audio components are also possible.

The image capture device 200 may include an interactive display 224 thatallows for interaction with the image capture device 200 whilesimultaneously displaying information on a surface of the image capturedevice 200. The interactive display 224 may include an I/O interface,receive touch inputs, display image information during video capture,and/or provide status information to a user. The status informationprovided by the interactive display 224 may include battery power level,memory card capacity, time elapsed for a recorded video, etc.

The image capture device 200 may include a release mechanism 225 thatreceives a user input to in order to change a position of a door (notshown) of the image capture device 200. The release mechanism 225 may beused to open the door (not shown) in order to access a battery, abattery receptacle, an I/O interface, a memory card interface, etc. (notshown) that are similar to components described in respect to the imagecapture device 100 of FIGS. 1A and 1B.

In some embodiments, the image capture device 200 described hereinincludes features other than those described. For example, instead ofthe I/O interface and the interactive display 224, the image capturedevice 200 may include additional interfaces or different interfacefeatures. For example, the image capture device 200 may includeadditional buttons or different interface features, such asinterchangeable lenses, cold shoes, and hot shoes that can addfunctional features to the image capture device 200.

FIG. 2C is a top view of the image capture device 200 of FIGS. 2A-B andFIG. 2D is a partial cross-sectional view of the image capture device200 of FIG. 2C. The image capture device 200 is configured to capturespherical images, and accordingly, includes a first image capture device226 and a second image capture device 228. The first image capturedevice 226 defines a first field-of-view 230 and includes the lens 204that receives and directs light onto a first image sensor 232.Similarly, the second image capture device 228 defines a secondfield-of-view 234 and includes the lens 206 that receives and directslight onto a second image sensor 236. To facilitate the capture ofspherical images, the image capture devices 226 and 228 (and relatedcomponents) may be arranged in a back-to-back (Janus) configuration suchthat the lenses 204, 206 face in generally opposite directions.

The fields-of-view 230, 234 of the lenses 204, 206 are shown above andbelow boundaries 238, 240 indicated in dotted line. Behind the firstlens 204, the first image sensor 232 may capture a firsthyper-hemispherical image plane from light entering the first lens 204,and behind the second lens 206, the second image sensor 236 may capturea second hyper-hemispherical image plane from light entering the secondlens 206.

One or more areas, such as blind spots 242, 244 may be outside of thefields-of-view 230, 234 of the lenses 204, 206 so as to define a “deadzone.” In the dead zone, light may be obscured from the lenses 204, 206and the corresponding image sensors 232, 236, and content in the blindspots 242, 244 may be omitted from capture. In some implementations, theimage capture devices 226, 228 may be configured to minimize the blindspots 242, 244.

The fields-of-view 230, 234 may overlap. Stitch points 246, 248 proximalto the image capture device 200, that is, locations at which thefields-of-view 230, 234 overlap, may be referred to herein as overlappoints or stitch points. Content captured by the respective lenses 204,206 that is distal to the stitch points 246, 248 may overlap.

Images contemporaneously captured by the respective image sensors 232,236 may be combined to form a combined image. Generating a combinedimage may include correlating the overlapping regions captured by therespective image sensors 232, 236, aligning the captured fields-of-view230, 234, and stitching the images together to form a cohesive combinedimage.

A slight change in the alignment, such as position and/or tilt, of thelenses 204, 206, the image sensors 232, 236, or both, may change therelative positions of their respective fields-of-view 230, 234 and thelocations of the stitch points 246, 248. A change in alignment mayaffect the size of the blind spots 242, 244, which may include changingthe size of the blind spots 242, 244 unequally.

Incomplete or inaccurate information indicating the alignment of theimage capture devices 226, 228, such as the locations of the stitchpoints 246, 248, may decrease the accuracy, efficiency, or both ofgenerating a combined image. In some implementations, the image capturedevice 200 may maintain information indicating the location andorientation of the lenses 204, 206 and the image sensors 232, 236 suchthat the fields-of-view 230, 234, the stitch points 246, 248, or bothmay be accurately determined; the maintained information may improve theaccuracy, efficiency, or both of generating a combined image.

The lenses 204, 206 may be laterally offset from each other, may beoff-center from a central axis of the image capture device 200, or maybe laterally offset and off-center from the central axis. As compared toimage capture devices with back-to-back lenses, such as lenses alignedalong the same axis, image capture devices including laterally offsetlenses may include substantially reduced thickness relative to thelengths of the lens barrels securing the lenses. For example, theoverall thickness of the image capture device 200 may be close to thelength of a single lens barrel as opposed to twice the length of asingle lens barrel as in a back-to-back lens configuration. Reducing thelateral distance between the lenses 204, 206 may improve the overlap inthe fields-of-view 230, 234. In another embodiment (not shown), thelenses 204, 206 may be aligned along a common imaging axis.

Images or frames captured by the image capture devices 226, 228 may becombined, merged, or stitched together to produce a combined image, suchas a spherical or panoramic image, which may be an equirectangularplanar image. In some implementations, generating a combined image mayinclude use of techniques including noise reduction, tone mapping, whitebalancing, or other image correction. In some implementations, pixelsalong the stitch boundary may be matched accurately to minimize boundarydiscontinuities.

The image capture device 200 may be used to implement some or all of themethods described in this disclosure, such as the method 800 describedin FIG. 8.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of electronic components in an image capturedevice 300. The image capture device 300 may be a single-lens imagecapture device, a multi-lens image capture device, or variationsthereof, including an image capture device with multiple capabilitiessuch as use of interchangeable integrated sensor lens assemblies. Thedescription of the image capture device 300 is also applicable to theimage capture devices 100, 200 of FIGS. 1A-B and 2A-D.

The image capture device 300 includes a body 302 which includeselectronic components such as capture components 310, a processingapparatus 320, data interface components 330, movement sensors 340,power components 350, and/or user interface components 360.

The capture components 310 include one or more image sensors 312 forcapturing images and one or more microphones 314 for capturing audio.

The image sensor(s) 312 is configured to detect light of a certainspectrum (e.g., the visible spectrum or the infrared spectrum) andconvey information constituting an image as electrical signals (e.g.,analog or digital signals). The image sensor(s) 312 detects lightincident through a lens coupled or connected to the body 302. The imagesensor(s) 312 may be any suitable type of image sensor, such as acharge-coupled device (CCD) sensor, active pixel sensor (APS),complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensor, N-typemetal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS) sensor, and/or any other image sensoror combination of image sensors. Image signals from the image sensor(s)312 may be passed to other electronic components of the image capturedevice 300 via a bus 380, such as to the processing apparatus 320. Insome implementations, the image sensor(s) 312 includes adigital-to-analog converter. A multi-lens variation of the image capturedevice 300 can include multiple image sensors 312.

The microphone(s) 314 is configured to detect sound, which may berecorded in conjunction with capturing images to form a video. Themicrophone(s) 314 may also detect sound in order to receive audiblecommands to control the image capture device 300.

The processing apparatus 320 may be configured to perform image signalprocessing (e.g., filtering, tone mapping, stitching, and/or encoding)to generate output images based on image data from the image sensor(s)312. The processing apparatus 320 may include one or more processorshaving single or multiple processing cores. In some implementations, theprocessing apparatus 320 may include an application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC). For example, the processing apparatus 320 may include acustom image signal processor. The processing apparatus 320 may exchangedata (e.g., image data) with other components of the image capturedevice 300, such as the image sensor(s) 312, via the bus 380.

The processing apparatus 320 may include memory, such as a random-accessmemory (RAM) device, flash memory, or another suitable type of storagedevice, such as a non-transitory computer-readable memory. The memory ofthe processing apparatus 320 may include executable instructions anddata that can be accessed by one or more processors of the processingapparatus 320. For example, the processing apparatus 320 may include oneor more dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) modules, such as double datarate synchronous dynamic random-access memory (DDR SDRAM). In someimplementations, the processing apparatus 320 may include a digitalsignal processor (DSP). More than one processing apparatus may also bepresent or associated with the image capture device 300.

The data interface components 330 enable communication between the imagecapture device 300 and other electronic devices, such as a remotecontrol, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a desktopcomputer, or a storage device. For example, the data interfacecomponents 330 may be used to receive commands to operate the imagecapture device 300, transfer image data to other electronic devices,and/or transfer other signals or information to and from the imagecapture device 300. The data interface components 330 may be configuredfor wired and/or wireless communication. For example, the data interfacecomponents 330 may include an I/O interface 332 that provides wiredcommunication for the image capture device, which may be a USB interface(e.g., USB type-C), a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), or aFireWire interface. The data interface components 330 may include awireless data interface 334 that provides wireless communication for theimage capture device 300, such as a Bluetooth interface, a ZigBeeinterface, and/or a Wi-Fi interface. The data interface components 330may include a storage interface 336, such as a memory card slotconfigured to receive and operatively couple to a storage device (e.g.,a memory card) for data transfer with the image capture device 300(e.g., for storing captured images and/or recorded audio and video).

The movement sensors 340 may detect the position and movement of theimage capture device 300. The movement sensors 340 may include aposition sensor 342, an accelerometer 344, or a gyroscope 346. Theposition sensor 342, such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor,is used to determine a position of the image capture device 300. Theaccelerometer 344, such as a three-axis accelerometer, measures linearmotion (e.g., linear acceleration) of the image capture device 300. Thegyroscope 346, such as a three-axis gyroscope, measures rotationalmotion (e.g., rate of rotation) of the image capture device 300. Othertypes of movement sensors 340 may also be present or associated with theimage capture device 300.

The power components 350 may receive, store, and/or provide power foroperating the image capture device 300. The power components 350 mayinclude a battery interface 352 and a battery 354. The battery interface352 operatively couples to the battery 354, for example, with conductivecontacts to transfer power from the battery 354 to the other electroniccomponents of the image capture device 300. The power components 350 mayalso include an external interface 356, and the power components 350may, via the external interface 356, receive power from an externalsource, such as a wall plug or external battery, for operating the imagecapture device 300 and/or charging the battery 354 of the image capturedevice 300. In some implementations, the external interface 356 may bethe I/O interface 332. In such an implementation, the I/O interface 332may enable the power components 350 to receive power from an externalsource over a wired data interface component (e.g., a USB type-C cable).

The user interface components 360 may allow the user to interact withthe image capture device 300, for example, providing outputs to the userand receiving inputs from the user. The user interface components 360may include visual output components 362 to visually communicateinformation and/or present captured images to the user. The visualoutput components 362 may include one or more lights 364 and/or moredisplays 366. The display(s) 366 may be configured as a touch screenthat receives inputs from the user. The user interface components 360may also include one or more speakers 368. The speaker(s) 368 canfunction as an audio output component that audibly communicatesinformation and/or presents recorded audio to the user. The userinterface components 360 may also include one or more physical inputinterfaces 370 that are physically manipulated by the user to provideinput to the image capture device 300. The physical input interfaces 370may, for example, be configured as buttons, toggles, or switches. Theuser interface components 360 may also be considered to include themicrophone(s) 314, as indicated in dotted line, and the microphone(s)314 may function to receive audio inputs from the user, such as voicecommands.

The image capture device 300 may be used to implement some or all of themethods described in this disclosure, such as the method 800 describedin FIG. 8.

FIG. 4A is a diagram of a top-view of an image capture device 400 inaccordance with embodiments of this disclosure. The image capture device400 comprises a camera body 402 having two camera lenses 404, 406structured on front and back surfaces 403, 405 of the camera body 402.The two lenses 404, 406 are oriented in opposite directions and couplewith two images sensors mounted on circuit boards (not shown). Otherelectrical camera components (e.g., an image processor, camera SoC(system-on-chip), etc.) may also be included on one or more circuitboards within the camera body 402 of the image capture device 400.

The lenses 404, 406 may be laterally offset from each other, may beoff-center from a central axis of the image capture device 400, or maybe laterally offset and off-center from the central axis. As compared toan image capture device with back-to-back lenses, such as lenses alignedalong the same axis, the image capture device 400 including laterallyoffset lenses 404, 406 may include substantially reduced thicknessrelative to the lengths of the lens barrels securing the lenses 404,406. For example, the overall thickness of the image capture device 400may be close to the length of a single lens barrel as opposed to twicethe length of a single lens barrel as in a back-to-back configuration.

The image capture device 400 includes a microphone array that comprisesa front-facing component 408, a rear-facing component 412, and aside-facing component 418. The front-facing component 408, therear-facing component 412, and the side-facing component 418 may each bereferred to as a microphone assembly. The side-facing component 418 maybe on any side of the image capture device 400 that is perpendicular tothe front-facing component 408 and the rear-facing component 412, andmay include a top surface, a bottom surface, a left surface, a rightsurface, or any combination thereof. As shown in FIG. 4A, thefront-facing component 408 is disposed on the front surface 403 of theimage capture device. The front-facing component 408 may include one ormore microphone elements 414. The microphone elements 414 may beconfigured such that they are distanced approximately 6 mm to 18 mmapart. The rear-facing component 412 is disposed on the back surface 405of the image capture device 400. The rear-facing component 412 mayinclude one or more microphone elements 416. One or more of themicrophone elements 416 may be configured as a drain microphone. Theside-facing component 418 is shown on a top surface 420 of the imagecapture device 400 in this example. The side-facing component 418 mayinclude one or more microphone elements 422. The microphone elements 422may be configured such that they are distanced approximately 6 mm to 18mm apart. The 6 mm to 18 mm spacing may determine the frequencyresolution of the output. For example, the larger the spacing, the lowerthe highest resolvable frequency. The spacing may be adjusted dependingon the resolution required.

The front-facing component 408, microphone elements 414, rear-facingcomponent 412, and microphone elements 416 are shown in broken lines asthey may not be visible in this view. The front-facing component 408,rear-facing component 412, and side-facing component 418 of themicrophone array may represent microphone elements on an X, Y, Z axis tocreate X, Y, Z components of a First Order Ambisonics B-Format. Thesemicrophone elements may be oriented on a sphere or off-axis, and may betransformed to the First Order Ambisonics B-Format.

FIG. 4B is a diagram of a front-view of the image capture device 400shown in FIG. 4A in accordance with embodiments of this disclosure. Asshown in FIG. 4B, the front surface 403 of the image capture device 400comprises the camera lens 404 and the front-facing component 408.Although the front-facing component 408 may include any number ofmicrophone elements, the example shown in FIG. 4B includes threemicrophone elements 414. Each of the microphone elements 414 may beconfigured such that they are distanced approximately 6 mm to 18 mmapart. The side-facing component 418 and the microphone elements 422 areshown in broken lines as they may not be visible in this view.

FIG. 4C is a diagram of a rear-view of the image capture device 400shown in FIG. 4A in accordance with embodiments of this disclosure. Asshown in FIG. 4C, the back surface 405 of the image capture device 400comprises the camera lens 406 and the rear-facing component 412. In anexample, the back surface 405 of the image capture device 400 mayinclude an interactive display 430 that allows for interaction with theimage capture device 400 while simultaneously displaying information ona surface of the image capture device 400. Although the rear-facingcomponent 412 may include any number of microphone elements, the exampleshown in FIG. 4C includes one microphone element 416. In an example, oneor more of the microphone elements 416 may be configured as a drainmicrophone. The side-facing component 418 and the microphone elements422 are shown in broken lines as they may not be visible in this view.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of an isometric view of an example of an imagecapture device 500 configured for dynamic avoidance of acousticshadowing in wind noise processing in accordance with embodiments ofthis disclosure. The wind noise processing may be based on sensor data.The sensor data may include, for example data obtained from an imagesensor, a microphone, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a GPS receivercomponent, a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a heart rate sensor,or any other sensor or combination of sensors. In an example where IMUdata indicates that the image capture device is lying on its back suchthat the rear-facing microphone is obstructed, wind noise processing maybe performed using a front-facing microphone, a side-facing microphone,a top-facing microphone, or any combination thereof.

The image capture device 500 includes a body 502 and two camera lenses504, 506 disposed on opposing surfaces of the body 502, for example, ina back-to-back or Janus configuration.

The image capture device may include electronics (e.g., imagingelectronics, power electronics, etc.) internal to the body 502 forcapturing images via the lenses 504, 506 and/or performing otherfunctions. The image capture device may include various indicators suchas an LED light and an LCD display.

The image capture device 500 may include various input mechanisms suchas buttons, switches, and touchscreen mechanisms. For example, the imagecapture device 500 may include buttons 516 configured to allow a user ofthe image capture device 500 to interact with the image capture device500, to turn the image capture device 500 on, and to otherwise configurethe operating mode of the image capture device 500. In animplementation, the image capture device 500 includes a shutter buttonand a mode button. It should be appreciated, however, that, in alternateembodiments, the image capture device 500 may include additional buttonsto support and/or control additional functionality.

In this view, the image capture device 500 may also include one or moremicrophones. In this example, the image capture device 500 includes aside-facing component 508 and a front-facing component 510. Theside-facing component 508 may be on any side of the image capture device500 that is perpendicular to the front-facing component 508 and mayinclude a top surface, a bottom surface, a left surface, a rightsurface, or any combination thereof. Although the side-facing component508 may include any number of microphone elements, the example shown inFIG. 5 includes microphone element 518A and microphone element 518B.Although the front-facing component 510 may include any number ofmicrophone elements, the example shown in FIG. 5 includes microphoneelement 518C, microphone element 518D, and microphone element 518E.Microphone elements 518A-518E are configured to receive and record audiosignals (e.g., voice or other audio commands) in conjunction withrecording video. Based on the size and geometry of the image capturedevice 500, microphone elements 518A and 518B may experience loweracoustic shadowing at higher frequencies than the microphone elements518C, 518D, and 518E. Accordingly, in some implementations, microphoneelements 518A and 518B may be selected by default to process higherfrequency signals. In some implementations, microphone elements toprocess higher frequency signals may be automatically selected based onimage capture device orientation, image capture device geometry, orboth.

The image capture device 500 may include an I/O interface 520 and aninteractive display 522 that allows for interaction with the imagecapture device 500 while simultaneously displaying information on asurface of the image capture device 500.

The image capture device 500 may be made of a rigid material such asplastic, aluminum, steel, or fiberglass. In some embodiments, the imagecapture device 500 described herein includes features other than thosedescribed. For example, instead of the I/O interface 520 and theinteractive display 522, the image capture device 500 may includeadditional interfaces or different interface features. For example, theimage capture device 500 may include additional buttons or differentinterface features, such as interchangeable lenses, cold shoes and hotshoes, and mounts that can add functional features to the image capturedevice 500.

In an example, the image capture device 500 may perform an image captureusing the front-facing camera lens 504 with various microphone patternsbased on the user activity, user preference, image capture deviceorientation, or any combination thereof. The device orientation may bedetermined using an IMU, gyroscope, accelerometer, or any combinationthereof. In this example, the image capture device 500 may be configuredto perform an image capture using the front-facing camera lens 504, therear-facing camera lens 506, or both. The image capture device 500 maycapture audio using the side-facing component 508, the front-facingcomponent 510, a rear-facing component such as rear-facing component 412of FIG. 4A, or any combination thereof. Although each microphonecomponent may include any number of microphone elements, in thisexample, the side-facing component 508 may include two microphoneelements, the front-facing component 510 may include three microphonecomponents, and the rear-facing component 412 includes at least onemicrophone element.

In this example, a processor, such as processing apparatus 312 of FIG.3A, may be configured to receive signals from one or more of themicrophone elements, for example microphone element 518A, microphoneelement 518B, microphone element 518C, microphone element 518D,microphone element 518E, microphone element 416 as shown in FIG. 4A, orany combination thereof, during image capture. If the processor detectsthat wind noise is present, the processor may perform wind noiseprocessing to reduce acoustic shadowing. To perform wind noiseprocessing, the processor may be configured to segment each signal fromthe microphone elements 518A, 518B, 518C, 518D, 518E, 416, or anycombination thereof, into low frequency bins and high frequency bins.Each bin may be a segment of any size, for example, each bin may be a100 Hz segment of the microphone signal. The threshold for low frequencybins and high frequency bins may be set at any frequency, and may bebased on image capture device size and geometry. Since the frequencythreshold may be dependent on the image capture device size andgeometry, the frequency threshold should be set such that the halfwavelength of the frequency threshold is larger than the largestdimension of the image capture device. For example, for an image capturedevice that has a dimension d, and the speed of sound c (340 m/s),f=c/(2*d). Accordingly, an image capture device that has a 0.05 m as itslargest dimension would have a frequency threshold of less than 3400 Hz.In an example, low frequency bins may include bins for frequencies lessthan 1500 Hz, and high frequency bins may include bins for frequenciesgreater than 1500 Hz. In another example, low frequency bins may includebins for frequencies less than 1200 Hz, and high frequency bins mayinclude bins for frequencies greater than 1200 Hz.

The processor may be configured to select a minimum level signal bin foreach low frequency bin for all microphones from which a signal isreceived. For the high frequency bins, the processor may be configuredto determine a minimum level signal for a first group of microphoneelements and a second group of microphone elements. For example, thefirst group of microphone elements may include all the microphones fromwhich a signal is received. The second group of microphone elements mayinclude microphone element 518A and microphone element 518B. Theprocessor may be configured to determine a difference between theminimum level signal of the first group of microphone elements and theminimum level signal of the second group of microphone elements. Theprocessor may be configured to select a minimum level signal bin foreach high frequency bin based on the determined difference. For example,if the determined difference is above a threshold, the processor mayselect the minimum level signal for the first group of microphoneelements for each high frequency bin. If the determined difference isbelow a threshold, the processor may select the minimum level signal binfor the second group of microphone elements for each high frequency bin.The threshold may be determined by determining how much the acousticshadow attenuates on average. The threshold may be determinedexperimentally and implemented using a look up table. The threshold maybe set such that when the difference between the minimums is greaterthan the threshold, the noise is not due to acoustic shadowing and israther due to wind, therefore all the microphones may be leveraged. Ifthe difference between the minimums is less than the threshold, acousticshadowing would be introduced if all the microphones are selected athigh frequencies, therefore a subset of microphones is selected to avoidacoustic shadowing. The processor may be configured to generate acomposite signal by combining the selected minimum level signal bins foreach low frequency bin and the selected minimum level signal bins foreach high frequency bin.

FIG. 6. is a block diagram of an example of a composite microphonesignal 600 in accordance with embodiments of this disclosure. As shownin FIG. 6, the composite microphone signal 600 is a combination ofsignals from multiple microphone elements, for example, microphoneelement 1 (MIC1), microphone element 2 (MIC2), and microphone element 3(MIC3). Each block of the composite microphone signal 600 represents abin or a segment of a signal that has the selected minimum level frommultiple signals, in this example, signals from three microphoneelements MIC1, MIC2, and MIC3, respectively. As shown in FIG. 6, bin610A of the signal from MIC1, bin 610B of the signal from MIC2, and bin610C of the signal from MIC3 are received at the same time and representthe same frequency bin. In this example, bin 610A may have the highestlevel signal, bin 610C may have the lowest level signal, and bin 610Cmay have a signal level higher than the signal level of bin 610C.Accordingly, in this example, bin 610C has the minimum level signal andis selected to generate the composite signal 600. As shown in FIG. 6,bin 620 of the composite signal 600 is the selected bin 610C of thesignal from MIC3.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an example of an integrated circuit 700 inaccordance with embodiments of this disclosure. The integrated circuit700 may be implemented as a processor, such as processing apparatus 312of FIG. 3A. The integrated circuit 700 may be configured to receivesignals from any number of microphone elements and perform wind noiseprocessing. In this example, the integrated circuit is configured toreceive signals from six microphone elements. In this example, thepresence of wind noise is detected in one or more of the six microphoneelements.

As shown in FIG. 7, the integrated circuit 700 includes an extractor710A for the low frequency path. In this example, the low frequency pathis configured to process signals below 1200 Hz. The extractor 710A isconfigured to receive the low frequency signals from the six microphoneelements and segment each low frequency signal into bins. Each bin maybe of any size, and in this example, each bin may be a 100 Hz segment ofthe signal.

The integrated circuit 700 may include a filter 720A coupled to theextractor 710A. The filter 720A may be a low pass filter configured tosmooth the complex magnitude such that it does not vary significantlyfrom block to block. The filter 720A may be coupled to a sampler 730A.The sampler 730A is configured to receive the processed signals of thesix microphone elements from the filter 720A. The sampler 730A may beconfigured to select a respective bin, from each of the six microphonesignals, that has a minimum level signal for each low frequency bin.

The integrated circuit 700 includes an extractor 710B for the highfrequency path. In this example, the high frequency path is configuredto process signals above 1200 Hz. The extractor 710B is configured toreceive the high frequency signals from the six microphone elements andsegment each high frequency signal into bins. Each bin may be of anysize, and in this example, each bin may be a 100 Hz segment of thesignal.

The integrated circuit 700 may include a filter 720B coupled to theextractor 710B. The filter 720B may be a low pass filter configured tosmooth the complex magnitude such that it does not vary significantlyfrom block to block. The filter 720B may be coupled to a sampler 730B.The sampler 730B is configured to receive the processed signals of thesix microphone elements from the filter 720B. The sampler 730B may beconfigured to select a respective bin, from each of the six microphonesignals, that has a minimum level signal for each high frequency bin.

As shown in FIG. 7, the filter 720B is coupled to a router 740. Therouter 740 is configured to receive the processed signals of the sixmicrophone elements from the filter 720B and output a subset of theprocessed signals. For example, the subset of processed signals mayinclude the processed signals from two or more microphone elements, suchas microphone element 518A and microphone element 518B of FIG. 5. Therouter 740 is coupled to a sampler 730C. The sampler 730C is configuredto receive the processed signals of the two microphone elements from therouter 740. The sampler 730C may be configured to select a respectivebin, from each of the two microphone signals, that has a minimum levelsignal for each high frequency bin.

The respective outputs of the sampler 730B and sampler 730C are sent toa summer 750. The summer 750 receives the output from sampler 730B andsampler 730C and determines a difference between the outputs. The summer750 may then send the determined difference to a comparator 760. In someimplementations, the summer 750 and the comparator 760 may be a combinedunit. The comparator 760 may be configured to receive the determineddifference from the summer 750 and send a control signal to switch 770based on the difference.

If the difference between the minimum level signal for a respective highfrequency bin from sampler 730C and the minimum level signal for arespective high frequency bin from sampler 730B is greater than athreshold, the switch 770 is configured to select the minimum levelsignal for the respective high frequency bin from sampler 730B and sendthe selection to concatenator 780. If the difference between the minimumlevel signal for a respective high frequency bin from sampler 730C andthe minimum level signal for a respective high frequency bin fromsampler 730B is less than a threshold, the switch 770 is configured toselect the minimum level signal for the respective high frequency binfrom sampler 730C and send the selection to concatenator 780. Theconcatenator 780 is configured to receive the respective bin selectionsfrom sampler 730A, sampler 730B, and sampler 730C. The concatenator 780is configured to combine the bin selection from sampler 730A, sampler730B, and sampler 730C to generate a composite signal, for example, thecomposite signal 600 shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of an example of a method 800 for wind noiseprocessing in accordance with embodiments of this disclosure. The method800 includes receiving signals 810 from any number of microphoneelements. In this example, the method 600 may include receiving signals810 from six microphone elements. In this example, the presence of windnoise may be detected in one or more of the six microphone elements.

As shown in FIG. 8, the method 800 includes segmenting 820 each signalinto bins. The bins may be segmented into low frequency bins and highfrequency bins. Each bin may be of any size, and in this example, eachbin may be a 100 Hz segment of the signal. In this example, the lowfrequency bins may include signals below 1200 Hz. Referring to FIG. 8,the method 800 includes selecting 830 a minimum level signal bin foreach low frequency bin.

The method 800 includes processing 840 signals from all six microphoneelements for high frequency bins. In this example, the high frequencybins may include signals above 1200 Hz. Each bin may be of any size, andin this example, each bin may be a 100 Hz segment of the signal. Theprocessing 840 may include filtering the signals to smooth the complexmagnitude such that it does not vary significantly from block to block.The processing 840 may include selecting a respective bin, from each ofthe six microphone signals, that has a minimum level signal for eachhigh frequency bin.

The method 800 includes processing 850 signals from a subset ofmicrophone elements, such as microphone element 518A and microphoneelement 518B of FIG. 5, for high frequency bins. The processing 850 mayinclude selecting a respective bin, from each of the two microphonesignals, that has a minimum level signal for each high frequency bin.

The method 800 includes comparing 860 the signal levels between thesubset of microphone elements and all the microphone elements. Thecomparing 860 includes determining a difference between the signallevels of each selected bin.

The method 800 includes setting 870 a switch based on the comparison.Setting 870 the switch may be to select either a signal level bin of thesubset of microphone elements or all the microphone elements. The switchmay be selected based on a difference between the minimum level signalfor a respective high frequency bin associated with all the microphoneelements and the minimum level signal for a respective high frequencybin associated with the subset of microphone elements. If the differencebetween the minimum level signal for a respective high frequency binassociated with the subset of microphone elements and the minimum levelsignal for a respective high frequency bin associated with all themicrophone elements is greater than a threshold, the setting 870 mayinclude selecting the minimum level signal for the respective highfrequency bin associated with all the microphone elements and sendingthe selection to a concatenator, for example, concatenator 780 of FIG.7. If the difference between the minimum level signal for a respectivehigh frequency bin associated with the subset of microphone elements andthe minimum level signal for a respective high frequency bin associatedwith all the microphone elements is less than a threshold, the setting870 may include selecting the minimum level signal for the respectivehigh frequency bin associated with the subset of microphone elements andsending the selection to a concatenator, for example, concatenator 780of FIG. 7. The method 800 includes concatenating 880 the selected highfrequency signal level bins with the selected low frequency signal levelbins to generate a composite signal, for example, the composite signal600 shown in FIG. 6.

While the disclosure has been described in connection with certainembodiments, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to belimited to the disclosed embodiments but, on the contrary, is intendedto cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements includedwithin the scope of the appended claims, which scope is to be accordedthe broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modificationsand equivalent structures as is permitted under the law.

What is claimed is:
 1. An image capture device comprising: a microphone,a first plurality of microphones, and a second plurality of microphonesconfigured to obtain audio signals; and a processor configured to:segment the audio signals into low frequency bins and high frequencybins; select a minimum level signal bin for the low frequency bins; forthe high frequency bins, determine a minimum level signal bin for afirst group of microphones comprising the microphone, the firstplurality of microphones, and the second plurality of microphones, anddetermine a minimum signal level bin for a second group of microphonescomprising the second plurality of microphones; determine a differencebetween the minimum level signal bin of the first group of microphonesand the minimum level signal bin of the second group of microphones;select a minimum level signal bin for the high frequency bins based onthe difference; and generate a composite signal by combining theselected minimum level signal bins for the low frequency bins and theselected minimum level signal bins for the high frequency bins.
 2. Theimage capture device of claim 1, wherein the first plurality ofmicrophones comprises three microphones.
 3. The image capture device ofclaim 1, wherein the second plurality of microphones experience loweracoustic shadowing than the first plurality of microphones.
 4. The imagecapture device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to selectthe minimum level signal bin for the low frequency bins from themicrophone, the first plurality of microphones, and the second pluralityof microphones.
 5. The image capture device of claim 1, wherein thedifference between the minimum level signal bin of the first group ofmicrophones and the minimum level signal bin of the second group ofmicrophones is greater than a threshold, the processor furtherconfigured to select the minimum level signal bin of the first group ofmicrophones.
 6. The image capture device of claim 1, wherein thedifference between the minimum level signal bin of the first group ofmicrophones and the minimum level signal bin of the second group ofmicrophones is less than a threshold, the processor further configuredto select the minimum level signal bin of the second group ofmicrophones.
 7. The image capture device of claim 1, wherein the lowfrequency bins comprise audio signals having frequencies less than 1200Hz and the high frequency bins comprise audio signals having frequenciesgreater than 1200 Hz.
 8. A method comprising: receiving signals from aplurality of microphones; segmenting the signals into low frequency binsand high frequency bins; selecting, for the low frequency bins, aminimum level signal bin for the signals from the plurality ofmicrophones; processing, for the high frequency bins, signals from theplurality of microphones and signals from a subset of the plurality ofmicrophones; selecting, for the high frequency bins, a minimum signallevel bin for the signals from the plurality of microphones or a minimumsignal level bin for the signals from the subset of the plurality ofmicrophones; and concatenating the selected minimum level signal bins ofthe low frequency bins with the selected minimum level signal bins ofthe high frequency bins.
 9. The method of claim 8, further comprisingdetermining a difference between the minimum level signal bin of theplurality of microphones and the minimum level signal bin of the subsetof the plurality of microphones.
 10. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising: selecting the minimum level signal bin of the plurality ofmicrophones for the high frequency bins based on the difference beinggreater than a threshold.
 11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:selecting the minimum level signal bin of the subset of the plurality ofmicrophones based on the difference being less than a threshold.
 12. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the subset of the plurality of microphones isbased on an image capture device orientation or geometry.
 13. The methodof claim 8, wherein the subset of the plurality of microphones include apair of microphones on a top surface of a body of an image capturedevice.
 14. The method of claim 8, wherein the processing includesfiltering the signals to remove low level noise.
 15. An integratedcircuit comprising: an extractor configured to receive signals from amicrophone, a first plurality of microphones, and a second plurality ofmicrophones and segment the signals into low frequency bins and highfrequency bins; a first sampler configured to select a minimum levelsignal bin for the low frequency bins; a second sampler for the highfrequency bins, the second sampler configured to determine a minimumlevel signal bin for a first group of microphones comprising themicrophone, the first plurality of microphones, and the second pluralityof microphones, a third sampler for the high frequency bins, the thirdsampler configured to determine a minimum signal level bin for a secondgroup of microphones comprising the second plurality of microphones; acomparator configured to determine a difference between the minimumlevel signal bin of the first group of microphones and the minimum levelsignal bin of the second group of microphones; a switch configured toselect a minimum level signal bin for the high frequency bins based onthe difference; and a concatenator configured to generate a compositesignal by combining the selected minimum level signal bins for the lowfrequency bins and the selected minimum level signal bins for the highfrequency bins.
 16. The integrated circuit of claim 15, wherein thedifference between the minimum level signal bin of the first group ofmicrophones and the minimum level signal bin of the second group ofmicrophones is greater than a threshold, and the switch is furtherconfigured to select the minimum level signal bin of the first group ofmicrophones.
 17. The integrated circuit of claim 15, wherein thedifference between the minimum level signal bin of the first group ofmicrophones and the minimum level signal bin of the second group ofmicrophones is less than a threshold, and the switch is furtherconfigured to select the minimum level signal bin of the second group ofmicrophones.
 18. The integrated circuit of claim 15 further comprising:a router configured to receive the signals from the microphone, thefirst plurality of microphones, and the second plurality of microphonesand output a subset of signals.
 19. The integrated of claim 18, whereinthe subset of signals comprises signals from the second group ofmicrophones.
 20. The integrated circuit of claim 15, wherein thecomparator is configured to transmit a control signal to the switch.